Support Assembly

ABSTRACT

A sliding support assembly includes a sliding rail assembly and an attachment. The sliding rail assembly includes a fixed member, a sliding arm, and a hinge. The hinge has a positioning extension and a second portion, wherein the second portion is pivotally engaged to the positioning extension. The positioning extension is slidably engaged to the fixed member. The sliding rail assembly has a non-pivoted state and a pivoted state, wherein in the non-pivoted state the second portion is positioned substantially parallel to the fixed member, and in the pivoted state the second portion defines an angle with the fixed member. The attachment is engaged to at least a portion of the second portion and in the pivoted state is positioned a desired distance beyond the exterior edge of the partition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicant claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/319,317, filed Mar. 31, 2010 the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a sliding support assembly, and in particular, to a stowable sliding support assembly that may be installed on a partition via a sliding, pivoting rail assembly.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are currently available many types of racks, expansible brackets, rods, holders and other hangers for hanging and permitting access to articles. Many of the racks include sliding mechanisms to allow the rack to be slid from a retracted position to a more easily accessed extended position.

Such sliding racks include the retractable valet rods described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,337,905 and 5,538,146 incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. Other rack assemblies are known that include sliding or otherwise moveable members that may cause hanging members to be actuated. Such assemblies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,569,450; 5,425,463; and 6,679,392, the entire content of each being expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other types of sliding and/or pivoting racks may be disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,310,899 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/274970 incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

Sliding support assemblies may varry in design and function. Sliding support assemblies may be mounted to a wall, partition or other member, such that an attachment may be engaged to a sliding rail assembly to allow a user to slidingly extend the attachment from a retracted position to an extended and pivoted position. While certain sliding support assemblies may be known, those that are presently available fail to provide a sliding rail assembly that has a smooth sliding action and that pivots for easy access, while also having the ability to mount one or more of a variety of attachments with sufficient clearance to avoid contact with a wall, partition, or other member. Various embodiments of the present invention provide for such a sliding support assembly, and also provide a sliding support assembly that is esthetically pleasing, and which is particularly useful when mounted to a vertical surface, a closet wall, partition, door or other member.

The art referred to and/or described above is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “prior art” with respect to this invention. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. § 1.56(a) exists.

All U.S. patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Without limiting the scope of the invention, a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.

A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In at least one embodiment, the invention is directed to a sliding support assembly that comprises a sliding rail assembly and a device attachment. The sliding rail assembly may include, but is not necessarily limited to the inclusion of a fixed member, a sliding arm and/or mounting member, and a hinge having a positioning extension and optional lock. The hinge may also include a second portion, wherein the positioning extension is pivotally engaged to the second portion, and wherein the positioning extension is slidably engaged to the fixed member via the sliding arm and/or mounting member, and the second portion is engaged an article or device. The sliding rail assembly has a non-pivoted state and a pivoted state, wherein in the non-pivoted state the sliding arm is positioned substantially parallel to the fixed member, and in the pivoted state, the sliding arm extends outwardly from, and defines an angle with respect to the fixed member. The attachment or device is engaged to at least a portion of the second portion of the hinge.

In some embodiments, in the pivoted state, the attachment or device may be secured at an angle between 1 and 90 degrees relative to the fixed member. In at least one embodiment, in the pivoted state, the angle is at least, or is greater than 90 degrees.

In at least one embodiment, the attachment or device comprises a housing bracket, or support. In some embodiments, the attachment or device is a mirror, iron board, valet rod, tie rack, belt rack, clothing rack, hanger, hook, or any combination thereof.

In at least one embodiment, the fixed member is engaged to a partition.

These and other embodiments which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for further understanding of the invention, its advantages and objectives obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof and the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

A detailed description of the invention is hereafter described with specific reference being made to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a one embodiment of the invention, in a stowed position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the support assembly of FIG. 1, shown in a partially extended position.

FIG. 2 a is a detail view of the hinge of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the support assembly of FIG. 1, shown in a fully extended and partially pivoted position.

FIG. 3 a is a detail view of the hinge of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is an alternative perspective view of the support assembly of FIG. 1, shown in a retracted position.

FIG. 5 is an alternative perspective view of the support assembly of FIG. 4, depicting support assembly in a partially extended position.

FIG. 6 is an alternative perspective view of the support assembly of FIG. 4, depicting the support assembly in an extended and partially pivoted position.

FIG. 7 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention in a retracted position.

FIG. 8 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention in a partially extended position.

FIG. 8 a is a detail top view of the hinge of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention in an extended and partially pivoted position.

FIG. 9 a is a detail top view of the hinge of FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention as depicted in FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention in a partially extended position as depicted in FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention in an extended and partially pivoted position as depicted in FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention in a partially extended position.

FIG. 13 a is a detail top view of the hinge of FIG. 13.

FIG. 14 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention in an extended and partially pivoted position.

FIG. 14 a is a detail top view of the hinge of FIG. 14.

FIG. 15 is an alternative top view of one embodiment of the invention in an extended and partially pivoted position.

FIG. 15 a is an alternative detail top view of the hinge of FIG. 15.

FIG. 16 is an alternative top view of one embodiment of the invention in an extended and partially pivoted position.

FIG. 16 a is an alternative detail top view of the hinge of FIG. 16.

FIG. 17 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 is an alternative detail view of the hinge in an extended position.

FIG. 19 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 a is a detail perspective view of the hinge of FIG. 19.

FIG. 20 is an alternative detail view of one embodiment of the hinge of the invention.

FIG. 21 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 a is an alternative detail view of the hinge of FIG. 22.

FIG. 23 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention in a stored position.

FIG. 24 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention of FIG. 23 shown in a partially extended position.

FIG. 25 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention of FIG. 23 shown in a partially extended position.

FIG. 26 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention of FIG. 23 shown in an extended and partially pivoted position.

FIG. 27 is a detail view of one embodiment of the latch.

FIG. 28 is an alternative detail view of one embodiment of the latch.

FIG. 29 is an alternative detail view of one embodiment of the latch.

FIG. 30 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention in a stowed position.

FIG. 31 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention of FIG. 30 shown in a partially extended position.

FIG. 32 is an alternative detail end view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 33 is an alternative top perspective partial phantom line view of one embodiment of the invention in a partially rotated position.

FIG. 34 is an alternative perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein specific preferred embodiments of the invention. This description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated.

For the purposes of this disclosure, like reference numerals in the figures shall refer to like features unless otherwise indicated.

A first embodiment of the invention is depicted in FIG. 1. A remarkable sliding support assembly is shown in an exploded, retracted, position. In the various embodiments shown, the assembly 10 is comprised of several components that provide a sliding support assembly with a variety of mounting and use positions, and the capacity to be readily moved between them. Although not depicted, it should be noted that some embodiments of the invention are directed to right-mounted support assemblies. In some embodiments the invention may be adapted for left-mounted support assemblies.

While slidable support assemblies may exist in the prior art, pivoting and a positioning extension is a feature that until now has been overlooked. Pivoting and a positioning extension solves a problem that until now was unrecognized. That is, previous slidable support assemblies allowed the articles to be brought out of the closet, for example, and inspected and ultimately selected. However, permitting a slidable support assembly to pivot, and the provision of a pivot extension, allows the user to bring an article completely out of an enclosure and into an environment, thereby making it easier for the user to use the article while minimizing risk of in advertent damage to a surface. Furthermore, the pivoting, and provision of a pivot extension, solves the problems of leaving the sliding support assembly in an extended position for any period of time, and the pivotal contact between the assembly 10 and the support structure. It is aesthetically unpleasing to leave a prior art assembly extended from an enclosure. This means that the user must remember to push the assembly back into the enclosure each time after use. In the present invention, the pivoted support assembly may remain outside of the enclosure if the user so desires.

The sliding support assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 7-12 is adjacent to and parallel with a partition member, or structure 12. Although the partition 12 depicted in FIGS. 7-12 is shown having vertical surfaces, it should be noted that the sliding support assembly 10 may engage any vertical or horizontal surface. The sliding support assembly 10 in FIGS. 7-12 depict a mirror attachment 14. It should be noted that other types of attachments may be utilized with sliding support assembly 10 such as earlier described which may include an attachment such as a tie rack 57.

In FIGS. 2-12, the sliding support assembly 10 of FIG. 1 is depicted in various positions as the assembly is being extended outwardly relative to a partition 12, for example, and then pivoted. In FIG. 11 the sliding support assembly 10 has been slid partially out with respect to the partition 12, parallel to the partition 12, along fixed member 20 along longitudinal axis 22. The sliding is accomplished by a sliding engagement between a sliding arm and/or mounting member 36, a hinge 28, and a fixed member 20, as described in more detail below (FIG. 1). The sliding arm 26 (FIGS. 8 a and 9 a) and/or mounting member 36 (FIG. 1) may include, or may be engaged to, a slide having bearings to facilitate ease of use.

FIG. 3 depicts the sliding support assembly 10 of FIG. 2 in a fully extended and partially pivoted state. The attachment bracket 14 a is seen pivoted at angle 24 in relation to the fixed member 20. That is, the attachment bracket 14 a defines an angle 24 with the fixed member 20. FIGS. 3, 6, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21 and 22 depict the sliding support assembly 10 in a fully extended and at least partially pivoted state. Angle 24 will generally be between 1 and 90 degrees, with FIGS. 3, 6, 9 and 12 depicting an angle of about 40 degrees. Of course, it is envisioned that angle 24 could be less or greater than 90 degrees. In some embodiments, it is desirable to allow the sliding support assembly 10 to be pivotally rotated to the side of a partition 12 opposite to which it is mounted. As such, the attachment 14 may pivot more than 90 degrees.

In at least one embodiment, the assembly 10 may include an extendable/retractable shaft to keep the attachment 14 in an extended or pivoted position, such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,310,899, the entire content of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. In some embodiments, the shaft may be spring loaded or pressurized with gas.

Turning now to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9, the sliding support assembly 10 is shown in more detail. The sliding support assembly 10 may include a rail depicted as fixed member 20, the sliding arm 26 (FIGS. 8 and 9), and/or mounting member 36, positioning extension 50, and a hinge 28. As seen in FIG. 1, the hinge 28 connects the second portion 32 to the positioning extension 50. In addition, the positioning extension 50 is connected to the sliding arm 26 and/or mounting member 36. More specifically, the hinge 28, which is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 a, 3 a, and 9, has the positioning extension 50 which is engaged to the sliding arm 26 or mounting member 36, which in turn is slidably engaged to the fixed member 20. The hinge 28 also has a second portion 32 that is fixedly engaged to an attachment 14, or a bracket for an attachment 14 a, as depicted in FIG. 1. The positioning extension 50 of the hinge 28 is pivotally engaged to the second portion 32 via a pin or screws 34. In one embodiment the sliding arm 26 may be enclosed within a housing.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of a portion of the sliding support assembly 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a mounting member 36 is slidably engaged to a fixed member 20 which in turn is engaged to partition 12. The positioning extension 50 of the hinge 28 is mounted to the mounting member 36 via securement elements such as screws (not shown) through securement holes 38. The second portion 32 of the hinge 28 is mounted to the attachment bracket 14 a via securement elements through securement holes 40. In such a manner, the hinge may slide relative to the fixed member 20 via the sliding arm 26 and/or mounting member 36.

FIG. 1 further depicts one method of engaging attachment 14 to the fixed member 20 via securement elements through securement holes 42. The design of the present invention allows various styles or types of attachments 14 to be used. For example, the attachments 14 may be mirrors, valet rods, tie racks, belt racks, clothing racks, hangers, hooks, or any combination thereof. Embodiments of such attachments 14 may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,392, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The sliding support assembly 10 may include various stopping members. Stopping members may be used to adjust the extended or retracted position of the sliding support assembly 10. For example, in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2-12 the sliding arm 26 and/or mounting member 36 is allowed to fully retract in the absence of a stopping member. In contrast, the final retracted position of the sliding support assembly 10 may be controlled by the position of the stopping member. The stopping member may be a tab made of plastic, metal, or other durable material, or the stopping member may be a flange. Alternatively, stopping members may restrict the outward sliding deployment of the sliding arm 26 and/or mounting members 36 relative to the fixed member 20 to define a fully extended position where the article 14 is positioned to the exterior of the partition 12 by approximately one inch or more.

In at least one embodiment, stopping member may be a roller stop 44, where outward sliding positioning of the attachment 14 relative to the fixed member 20 occurs until the roller stop 44 abuts against the contact edge 46 of the mounting member 36 and/or sliding arm 26. The contact edge 46 of the mounting member 36 and/or sliding arm 26 restricts the slidable outward positioning of the attachment 14. In at least one embodiment, the mounting member 36 is slidably engaged to a sliding arm 26 comprising bearings. Sliding arm 26 in at least one embodiment is in turn slidably engaged within channels formed within fixed member 20.

In some embodiments the fixed member 20 may be engaged to one or more intermediate slidable arms or extensions to further extend an attachment 14 outwardly from a partition 12. Slidable arms, intermediate slidable extensions, and fixed member 20 may be slidably engaged to each other through the use of bearings.

In some embodiments the positioning extension 50 of the hinge 28 is elongated such that the slidable positioning of the sliding arm 26 and/or mounting member 36 from retracted end 52 of fixed member 20 towards extended end 54 of fixed member 20 positions a significant portion of hinge 28, pin 34 and second portion 32 outwardly beyond the end of the partition 12. It should be noted that movement of the sliding arm 26 and/or mounting member 36 relative to fixed member 20 may be restricted by rollerstop 44 or by stopping members.

The positioning of sliding arm 26 and/or mounting member 36 proximate to extended end 54 of fixed member 20 in turn positions hinge 28, second portion 32 and a significant portion of positioning extension 50, beyond the end of the partition 12, by a distance which may be greater or less than one inch. The extension of the hinge 28 beyond the end of the partition 12 enables the attachment bracket 14 a and attachment 14 to be freely pivotable about pin 34, for positioning of attachment 14 at any desired angle. The extension of attachment 14 beyond end of partition 12 enables the angle 24 to be freely adjusted while simultaneously minimizing risk of attachment 14, or attachment bracket 14 a, inadvertently striking a partition 12, door, wall or other structure.

As may be seen in the exploded FIG. 9 a, the hinge 28 may also include expansible and pivotable internal supports 56. The expansible and pivotable internal supports 56 may include a locking feature to securely position attachment 14 at any desired angle 24 relative to partition 12 or fixed member 20. A release may also be provided to disengage any locking feature of the expansible and pivotable internal supports 56 to allow retraction of the hinge 28 relative to the positioning extension 50, and internal withdraw of the sliding support assembly 10 along fixed member 20 into a retracted position with respect to a wall surface or any other surface. In at least one embodiment, the positioning extension 50, in conjunction with the expansible and pivotable internal supports 56, enable an attachment 14 such as a mirror to be fixedly positioned at a desired angle 24, at least one inch to the exterior of a partition 12, thereby minimizing risk that an attachment 14 will strike a surface during use of the sliding support assembly 10.

In at least one embodiment, the hinge 28 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 14 through 22 a. The hinge 28 in some embodiments may include a first expansible support 58 and a second expansible support 60. The first expansible support 58 may be pivotally connected to fixed member 20 through the use of a pin 62, which is engaged to a support bracket, which may be integral to positioning extension 50. The first expansible support 58 may be pivotally connected to second expansible support 60 by use of a pin 64. The second expansible support 60 may be pivotally engaged to second portion 32 by the use of a pin 66 as engaged to a support bracket which is integral with or affixed to second portion 32.

In at least one embodiment, the first expansible support 58 includes a locking tab 68 which is adapted to traverse an opening or slot 70 through positioning extension 50 upon pivotal rotation of second portion 32 outwardly from positioning extension 50. Locking tab 68 is also adapted for retraction from opening or slot 70 upon pivotal rotation of second portion 32 toward positioning extension 50.

In at least one embodiment the attachment 14 may be moved in an outward direction until contact occurs between the roller stop 44 and the contact edge 46 of the mounting member 36 and/or sliding arm 26. Rotation of the attachment 14 about the hinge 28 in at least one embodiment will then cause the locking tab 68 to extend through the slot 70 to capture the roller stop 44 between the contact edge 46 and the locking tab 68. In the fully extended and pivotally rotated position, the attachment 14 may then be fixedly positioned relative to the fixed member 20 and the partition 12. In at least one embodiment, in the fully extended and fully pivoted position, the angle 24 is approximately 90 degrees, and the positioning extension 50 disposes the attachment 14 approximately 1 inch outwardly from the exterior surface of the partition 12. The pivotal rotation of the second portion 32 towards the positioning extension 50 retracts the locking tab 68 from the slot 70 permitting the positioning extension 50 to slide into the retracted or inward position along the fixed member 20.

In some embodiments, an attachment 14 is either fixedly or releasably engaged to a support frame or attachment bracket 14 a as depicted in FIGS. 1 through 6. In alternative embodiments, the attachment 14 may be fixedly or releasably engaged directly to second portion 32 of hinge 28. In other embodiments, the attachment 14 may be fixedly or releasably engaged to a pivotable arm which in turn is secured to either attachment frame 14 a or second portion 32 of hinge 28.

In some embodiments, the angle 24 between the attachment 14 and the fixed member 20 may be releasably locked. In other embodiments, the extension of sliding arm 26 and/or mounting member 36 relative to fixed member 20 may be releasably locked.

In some embodiments, the positioning extension 50 may be formed of a single unitary component of the hinge 28. In other embodiments, the positioning extension 50 may be formed of one or more extension sections to provide the desired dimensions for the extension of the attachment 14 beyond the end of the partition 12.

In some embodiments the rail member assembly includes a single rail member. Other embodiments include multiple rail members. In at least one embodiment, the rail member assembly includes a single bracket which engages a rail member and a vertical panel in the closet. In some embodiments there are multiple brackets which engage multiple rail members and a vertical panel, thereby forming a rectangular rail member assembly.

In some embodiments the rail member receiving arm assembly includes a single rail member receiving arm. Other embodiments include multiple rail member receiving arms. In at least one embodiment, the rail member receiving arm assembly includes a single bracket which engages a first rail member receiving arm with a second rail member receiving arm. In some embodiments there are multiple brackets which engage multiple rail member receiving arms, thereby forming a rectangular rail member receiving arm assembly.

Referring to FIGS. 23 through 34 in at least one embodiment, the improved support assembly 10 is formed of a device bracket 100, middle bracket 102, and inner bracket 104.

In some embodiments, inner bracket 104 is engaged to a structure or partition 12 as earlier described. In some embodiments, inner bracket 104 includes upper support 106 having upper ledge 108 and lower support 110 having lower ledge 112.

In some embodiments, an upper rail assembly 160 is engaged to the interior of upper support 106 and a lower rail assembly 162 is engaged to the interior of the lower support assembly 110. In some embodiments, at least one and/or a plurality of rollers 114 are rotatabley attached to, and extend upwardly from upper ledge 108 and downwardly from lower ledge 112.

In some embodiments, a forward vertical support 116 extends between forward portions of upper support 106 and lower support 110 and a rearward vertical support 118 extends between rearward portions of upper support 106 and lower support 110.

In some embodiments, upper support 106 includes upper stop tabs 120 and lower support 110 includes lower support tabs 122. In at least one embodiment, a central latch tab 124 is disposed on forward edge of forward vertical support 116 approximately equal distances between upper support 106 and lower support 110.

In at least one embodiment, middle bracket 102 has an upper channel 126 and a lower channel 128. Upper channel 126 in at least one embodiment, is disposed about upper rail assembly 160 and lower channel 128 is disposed about lower rail assembly 162. A central support 130 extends between upper channel 126 and lower channel 128. In at least one embodiment an upper stop channel 132 is located between upper channel 126 and central support 130. An upper stop bridge 134 extends between rearward edge of upper channel 126 and rearward edge of central support 130. In some embodiments, lower stop channel 136 is located between lower channel 128 and central support 130. A lower stop bridge 138 extends between the rearward edge of lower channel 128 and rearward edge of central support 130.

In some embodiments, the stop channel 132 receives the upper stop tabs 120 and the lower stop channel 136 receives the lower stop tabs 122 during slidable positioning of the middle bracket 102 relative to the inner bracket 104. Each of the upper stop channel 132 and lower stop channel 136 include a forward stop edge 140 which may restrict the rearward positioning of the middle bracket 102 relative to the inner bracket 104.

In at least one embodiment, a central latch channel 142 is positioned approximately equal distances between the upper channel 126 and the lower channel 128. The central latch channel 142 extends from the forward edge of the central support 130 reardwardly toward the rearward edge of central support 130. In at least one embodiment, a latch support bracket 144 is disposed centrally on central support 130 and is aligned with central latch channel 142. In at least one embodiment, a latch 146 is pivotally engaged to latch support bracket 144. Latch 146 in some embodiments may include engagement face/prong 148 and latch actuator tab 150. In some embodiments, a compression spring 152 is engaged to latch 146 proximate to latch actuator tab 150 and central support 130. In at least one embodiment, engagement face/prong 148 traverses central latch channel 142. In at least one embodiment, central latch channel 142 moves forwardly relative to the central latch tab 124 for engagement of central latch tab 124 to contact edge 164 of central latch channel 142 and engaged of engagement face/prong 148 to the opposite side of the central latch tab 124 during outward forward positioning of middle bracket 102 relative to inner bracket 104 via upper and lower slide rail assembly's 160, 162.

In at least one embodiment, inner surface of upper channel 126 includes an upper pivot ledge section 154 and inner surface of lower channel 128 includes a lower pivot ledge section 156 which include pivot elements 158, which enable device bracket 100 to be pivotally rotated relative to middle bracket 102. In at least one embodiment, the forward portion of the upper channel 126 and the forward portion of the lower channel 128 may be designated as the positioning extension portions 50 which enable the device or attachment 14 to extend outwardly past a partition 12 by at least 1 inch.

In at least one embodiment, middle bracket 102 moves forwardly relative to inner bracket 104 in the direction of arrow 166. In at least one embodiment, the interior of each of the upper channel 126 and lower channel 128 include a u-shaped member which engages upper rail assembly 160 and lower rail assembly 162 respectively, to permit slidable engagement forwardly and rearwardly there between.

In at least one embodiment, the device bracket 100 includes an upper section 168 and a lower section 170. A front upright support 172 extends between the front edge of the upper section 168 and the lower section 170, and a rear upright support 174 extends between the rear edge of the upper section 168 and the lower section 170.

In at least one embodiment, the upper section 168 includes an upper inward channel 176 having a cutaway section 178. The lower section 170 may also include a lower inward channel 180 having a cutaway section 178.

In at least one embodiment, the interior of the upper section 168 includes an upper pivot ledge bracket support 182. The interior of the lower section 170 may also include a lower pivot ledge bracket support 184. The upper pivot ledge bracket support 182 includes upper pivot bracket ledge 186 and the upper pivot bracket ledge stop face 188. The interior of the lower section 170 includes a lower pivot ledge bracket support 184 having a lower pivot bracket ledge 190 and a lower pivot bracket ledge stop face 192.

In at least one embodiment, pivot elements 158 engage upper pivot bracket ledge 186 and device bracket 100 to upper pivot ledge section 154 of middle bracket 102. Pivot elements 158 may also engage lower pivot bracket ledge 190 and device bracket 100 to lower pivot ledge section 156. The pivot elements 158 enable the device bracket 100 to be rotated to a position approximately 90° or perpendicular relative to the middle bracket 102 during the forward positioning of device 14 relative to partition 12. The rotation of the device bracket 100 relative to the middle bracket 102 in some embodiments is restricted by the contact between the upper pivot bracket ledge stop face 188 and the lower pivot bracket stop face 192 with the stop tabs 194 on each of the upper pivot ledge sections 154 and lower pivot ledge sections 156.

In at least one embodiment, the at rest or stored position for the improved support assembly 10 occurs when device bracket 100 is nested with middle bracket 102 and inner bracket 104. Use of improved support assembly 10 occurs when middle bracket 102 and device bracket 100 are moved forwardly with respect to inner bracket 104 in the direction of arrow 166. During forward movement of middle bracket 102 and device bracket 100 the upper inward channel 176 and the lower inward channel 180 pass over rollers 114 until such time as the rearward most roller(s) 114 is/are aligned with cutaway section 178 of upper inward channel 176 and lower inward channel 180. The forward sliding movement of middle bracket 102 and device bracket 100 via upper rail assembly 160 and lower rail assembly 162 simultaneously moves upper stop channel 132 forwardly away from upper stop tabs 120 and lower stop tabs 122 out of lower stop channel 136 forwardly away from lower stop tabs 122.

In at least one embodiment during forward sliding movement of middle bracket 102 and device bracket 100, the rear upright support 174 of device bracket 100 engages the latch actuator tab 150 to compressed spring 152 to inwardly withdraw the engagement face/prong 148 from the central latch channel 142.

In at least one embodiment, as the middle bracket 102 and device bracket 100 moves forwardly in the direction of arrow 166 relative to the inner bracket 104, the central latch channel 142 of the middle bracket 102 moves forwardly toward the central latch tab 124 of the forward vertical support 116 of the inner bracket 104. As forward motion of the middle bracket 102 and device bracket 100 continues, the central latch channel 142 receives the central latch tab 124 for passing engagement therein until the central latch tab 124 is positioned proximate to the contact edge 164 of the central latch channel 142. The positioning of the central latch tab 124 proximate to the contact edge 164 of the central latch channel 142 represents the fully extended position of the improved support assembly 10. During movement of the central latch channel 142 toward the central latch tab 124, the passing of the central latch tab 124 in the central latch channel 142 is not obstructed by the engagement face/prong 148 of the latch 146.

During movement of the middle bracket 102 and device bracket 100 in the direction of arrow 166, the pivotal rotation of device bracket 100 relative to middle bracket 102 is prohibited by the positioning of at least one roller 114 within upper inward channel 176 and/or lower inward channel 180. Rotation of device bracket 100 relative to middle bracket 102 may only occur when the rollers 114 have been drawn fully forward with respect to the upper inward channel 176 and the lower inward channel 180, where rollers 114 are disposed adjacent to cutaway section 178.

In at least one embodiment, the device bracket 100 is pivotally engaged to the middle bracket 102 via the engagement between the upper pivot ledge section 154 to the upper pivot ledge bracket support 182 via the pivot elements 158 and the lower pivot ledge section 156 to the lower pivot ledge bracket support 184 via the pivot elements 158.

In at least one embodiment, upon full extension between the middle bracket 102 and device bracket 100, from inner bracket 104, in direction of arrow 166, the device bracket 100 may be rotated about pivot elements 158 in either a right-handed or left-handed rotation dependent upon the initial positioning of the inner bracket 104 relative to a partition 12. In at least one embodiment, the pivotal rotation of the device bracket 100 relative to the middle bracket 102 causes the rear upright support 174 to be separated outwardly away from the latch actuator 150, thereby allowing the compression spring 152 to expand (represented by arrow 202) and the pivoting of the latch 146 about the latch support bracket 144 to position the engagement face/prong 148 in the central latch channel 142, to capture the central latch tab 124 between the engagement face/prong 148 and the contact edge 164 of the central latch channel 142. The sliding engagement between the device bracket 100 and the middle bracket 102 with respect to the inner bracket 104 is restricted by the engagement of the latch 146 to the central latch tab 124.

In at least one embodiment, the device bracket 100 may be rotated relative to the middle bracket 102 about the pivot elements 158 until such time as the upper pivot bracket ledge stop face 188 and the lower pivot bracket stop face 192 contact the stop tabs 194 on the upper pivot ledge section 154 and lower pivot ledge section 156. In this position, the device bracket 100 will be approximately perpendicular with respect to the middle bracket 102 where the positioning extensions 50 place device bracket 100 at least one inch outwardly with respect to an exterior edge of a structure 12.

In at least one embodiment, a device such as a mirror is engaged to the interior surface of device bracket 100. The device such as a mirror may be behind doors 196 which may be pivotally engaged to device bracket 100 by door hinges 198. In at least one embodiment, supplemental devices such as additional mirrors may be engaged to inside of doors 196.

The above disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive. This description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this art. The various elements shown in the individual figures and described above may be combined or modified for combination as desired. All these alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims where the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to”.

This completes the description of the preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto. 

1. A sliding support assembly comprising: a sliding rail assembly comprising a fixed member, and a hinge, the hinge having a positioning extension and a second portion, wherein the second portion is pivotally engaged to the positioning extension, and wherein the positioning extension is slidably engaged to the fixed member; the sliding support assembly having a non-pivoted state and a pivoted state, wherein in the non-pivoted state the second portion is positioned substantially parallel to the fixed member, and in the pivoted state the second portion defines an angle with the fixed member; and an attachment being engaged to at least a portion of the second portion.
 2. The sliding support assembly of claim 1, wherein in the pivoted state the angle is between 1 and 90 degrees.
 3. The sliding support assembly of claim 2, wherein in the pivoted state the angle is at least 90 degrees.
 4. The sliding support assembly of claim 3, wherein the attachment comprises a bracket.
 5. The sliding support assembly of claim 4, wherein the attachment is selected from at least one member of the group consisting of: mirrors, valet rods, tie racks, belt racks, clothing racks, hangers, hooks, iron boards, and any combination thereof.
 6. The sliding support assembly of claim 5, wherein the fixed member is engaged to a partition. 